Link belt tread for vehicles



Dec.. 8, 1931. E. c. BAUER L 1,835,627

LINK BELT TREAD FOR VEHICLES Filed April 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l fr forfufen: H @QM am if mi@ Mm/ ffm/ggg.

Dec. 8, 1931. E. c. BAUER 1,835,627

LINK BELT TREAD FOR VEHICLES Filed April 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheei 2Patented 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EUGENE O. BAUER, O F CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KENSINGTON STEEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION F ILLINOIS LINK BELT 'BREAD FOR VEHICLES Application ledApril 2, 1928. Serial No. 260,474.

My invention relates to improvements in link belt treads for vehiclesand has for its principal object to provide a link belt tread in whichthe links of the belt are provided with removable shoe members whichwill permit worn or broken parts of the link belt to be renewed Awithoutthe necessity of replacing other associated parts.

A more specific object is to provide in a construction of the abovecharacter, an improved tread shoe which is so formed as to economize inmaterial and labor required to relatively wide bearing faces for thetraction wheels and guiding sheaves. In this connection I contemplate asone specific embodiment, a link belt in which each link of the belt isprovided with an attaching flange adapted to fit into a recess formed inthe tread shoe so as to provide a firm interlocking engagement betweenthe link and the shoe.

The invention has for a further object the provision of new and improvedconstructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts hereinafterdescribed for carrying out the above stated objects and such otherobjects as may appearffrom the detailed description of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the assembly of a link belt tread of amotor-driven vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the inner side face of the shoemember.

Fig. 3 is a view inperspective of one of the link members of the treadto which the shoe shown in Fig. 2 is attached.

Fig. 4 is an inner plan view illustrating the manner in which aplurality of the shoe members and associated links of the belt areattached together.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

For convenience of illustration I have shown one embodiment of myinvention as forming a part of the traction member of a well known typeof motor-driven tractor. It will be understood, however, that theprinciples of the invention illustrated are not limited in their use tothe type of tractor shown, but may be embodied in various types oftrack-layin vehicles.

In the drawings 10 designates the frame of the driving member of atractor, 11-11 drlving sprockets arranged on opposite sides of the framemember, and 12-12 designates ianged guiding rollers journaled onopposite sides of said frame member and at opposite ends thereof. Thelink belt tread, forming the substance of my invention, extends over thesaid driving sprockets and guiding rollers. It consists preferably oftwo endless chains adapted to mesh with the driving sprocket and held inspaced relation to each other throughout the lengths of the chains bymeans of transversely extending shoe members 13 secured rigidlyl atopposite ends to transversely aligned links 14 and 15 of the inner andouter chains. The links are of the same general construction except thatthey are made in right and lefthand as shown in Fig. 4. For the purposeof convenience the left-hand link, that is to say, a link of the innerchain, is shown in detail in Fig. 3. Each of the said links consists ofside bars 15a and 15b connected at one end of the link by a cross bar16. The other end of the link is open and embraces the closed lendportion of the next adjacent link of the chain. A pivot pin 17 extendsthrough eyelet 18 of the side bar and through a central bore 19 of thecross bar 16. The pin 17 is held in its operative position by means of acotter pin extending through ears 20 formed on the inner side bars ofeach link. The other end of the pin is arranged to bear against ashoulder 21 of the tread shoe. The side bars v45 so as to take the majorportion of the traction y inforcements. The en of each link are formedwith rtions 21'-,- 21, preferably in the form o laterally exto which ashoe member 13 of the link trea is rigidly attached by means of a rivet23`and-a bolt The shoe member is preferably channel shaped in crosssectionso as to provide maximum strength and rigidity for a minimumamount of metal. A centrally disposed reinforcing rib 25, having its-eatest height at the center of the shoe, extens` longitudinally of theshoe so as'to rovide additional'red) portions of the shoe are formedwith transverse reinforcements 26--26 and with fiat bearing surfaces27--27 which bear against. the peripheral bearing surfaces of thedriving sprockets 11-11 and n on the guiding sheaves 12-12.

In order to provide a relatively wide bearing surface at the ends ofeach shoe, the said bearing surfaces 27--27 are each formed with a.recess 28 adapted to receive one of the flanges 21*-21a of theassociated link of the chain. In Fig. 5 of the drawings, it will beobserved that the recess 28 at one end of the shoe receives theattaching flange 21 of the link of the inner chain and that the recess28 at the opposite end of the shoe receives the attaching liange 21L ofthe link in the outside chain. The recesses 28-28 are preferably ofV4such depth that the surfaces 29 of the attachin lianges 21"--21a willbe iiush with the en bearing surfaces 27-27 of the shoe. With thisconstruction, the upper end of the rivets 23 are also formed flush withthe surface 29 of the attaching flanges 2l-21. In order to relieve therivets 23 and bolts 24 of shearing stresses and to provide also aninterlocking engagement between the chain links and the tread shoe, therecesses 28-28 are formed preferably to correspondsubstantially to theconfiguration of the attaching b 1t flange. With this construction theattaching flanges bear against the wall of the recesses strain.

While I have shown and described one specic embodiment of my invention,it will be obvious that the various parts of the construction shownmight be varied to lit the ideas of the invention to link belt treadsfor assess? ing link membersopen at one end and adapted to embrace theclosed ends of ad'acent hnks, pivot pms for securing said lin together,shoe members rd to fit over said links;

the wallsof said recessed portions of 'each posed to provide'abutmentsushoe being dis for said pivot pms. 4

3. A belt tread for vehicles composed of a lseries 'of pivotallyconnected sectlons, each section comprising a shoe member channel-vshaped in cross section provided with a reinforcing rib extendinglengthwise of the shoe and also provided at opposite ends withinnerbearing faces for engagement with belt supporting members of a vehicle,and chain lmk members formed with lateral attaching flanges -secured tosaid reinforcing rib at locations adjacent the said bearin faces of saidportions providing shoe and adapted, together with said shoebearingfaces, to prov1de trackways for belt supporting members of thevehicle; each of said inner faces of the shoe bein recessed to recelveone iange of a chain lin member to provide an interlocklng engagement ofsaid link member and shoe.

4. In aflink belt tread for vehicles, alink member formed with a barrelend and integral side bars, one of said side bars being offset withrelation to an end face of the barrel end and disposed in a planeparallel to said endfface whereby the outer faces of the said oi'setside bars of successive link mem; bers are in substantial alignment,anges formed integrally with said side bars and extending outwardlytherefrom for attachment to a tread shoe member of the belt, the flangeformed on said offset side bar being ada ted to engage tread supportingmembers o the EUGENE C. BAUER.

vehicles of different types from that illustrated in the drawings. Itwill thereforel be understood that I contemplate all such changes instructure as come within the scope of the appended claims. I claim:

I1. A link belt tread for vehicles, comprising lir'k members open at oneend and adapted to embrace the closed ends of adjacent links, pivot pinsfor securing said links together, shoe members fitted over said linksand formed with end bearing surfaces adapted to bear against relativelymovable parts of a

